


Shatter

by alwayssunnyprompts



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Angst, Episode: s08e06 Charlie's Mom Has Cancer, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missing Scene, Panic Attacks, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 07:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14689581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwayssunnyprompts/pseuds/alwayssunnyprompts
Summary: "Charlie opens the coffin and everything goes to shit. He and Dee shout in horror, and Dennis starts screaming."A missing scene from "Charlie's Mom Has Cancer."





	Shatter

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Charlie opens the coffin and everything goes to shit. He and Dee shout in horror, and Dennis starts screaming. 

"Mommy, mommy!” 

Mac's heart drops. He can't think straight. _She's dead and it's her body. It's her body. It's just her dead body. Shit._

He freezes at the sound of Dennis's voice. He's sobbing, his eyes wide with shock. 

"My mommy's a skeleton!” 

Rage burns in Mac's chest. He wants to kill Frank. How could he do this to Dennis and Dee? It's inhumane and disgusting. He locks eyes with Charlie, who's managed to crawl out of the grave and is sitting in the dirt. A knowing glare tells him that the kid shares his anger.

Dennis's legs buckle. He falls to his knees, still holding Dee's arm in a vice grip, almost pulling her down with him.

"Son of a bitch! Goddamnit, Dennis!" her eyes are trained on the ruined grave, a look of horrified disgust on her face. She turns to face him, throwing her shovel to the ground.

 "Dennis, stop," her voice gets a little gentler as she realizes how bad the situation could get, "calm down." She attempts to detach him from her arm before huffing in exasperation and kneeling next to him. 

"Look at me, Dennis.” 

If he hears her, he doesn’t give any indication. He cries harder, his eyes bloodshot and his face flushed red. His chest is heaving and he's making choked noises when he tries to take a breath.

"Look at me." Her voice is even and firm, doesn't betray the anxiety on her face. 

Dennis blinks, trying to fight through the hysteria to do as she asks. As he's turning his head, he catches another look at the coffin. Mac sees realization dawning in his eyes. 

The color goes from his face. He coughs at the end of a sob, and it quickly turns into retching. He lurches forward, gagging into the grass.

Dee's free hand is in his hair, holding him up.

"Shit. Mac, help me," the urgency in her voice is commanding. 

He drops down next to Dennis, reaching to rest a supportive hand under his chest. His heart is racing. Mac feels him heaving, but he's sure Dennis hasn't eaten much today. There probably isn't anything to bring up. He rubs gently at his chest as Dennis takes deeper breaths, trying to subdue the gagging spell. He leans back, whimpering, but no longer looks like he's about to be sick. Mac sees him loosen his hands enough for Dee to wrench her arm away. She massages the redness coloring her wrist absently, her eyes still on her brother. 

"Dennis?" Mac keeps his voice controlled and comforting, "Do you want to go home?”

Dennis looks at him. He nods, and his eyes seem far away as he starts to curl up on the ground.

"Hey, not here," Mac scoots closer, "Dee, Charlie, and I can help, but we have to go now." He opens arms and lets Dennis crawl into the embrace, burying his face in Mac's shirt. Charlie pats his shoulder gently, his face contorted in an effort to hide his own panic. 

"Mac, we've gotta get the hell out of here," Dee is looking around like she's expecting someone to catch them any minute. 

She's right. The fact that nobody has stumbled upon them digging up a grave is an honest-to-god miracle. He gives Dennis a quick squeeze before guiding him to his feet. He grabs one arm and Dee the other, leading him to Dee's car. Charlie follows without hesitation, still fuming, yelling over his shoulder to Frank that he can find his own ride.

Charlie drives them back to the apartment with an unexpected amount of skill and concentration. Dennis is sandwiched between Mac and Dee in the backseat, wrapped in Mac's arms the whole way home. Mac reaches up and runs his hand through his hair, trying to use the repetitive motion to ground him. His eyes are open, and he's staring out the window into nothingness. He almost doesn't even look like Dennis. Mac's never seen him this bad before. He looks physically ill. Tears are still streaming down his face and even though the strangled noises have quieted, Mac can tell that his vocal chords are shot all to hell. 

Dee's still in shock herself, but she's always been better at dealing with things than Dennis. She looks a lot more serious and sincere than she usually does, sympathy clear on her face. She rubs Dennis's back as Mac holds him. Every so often, she traces gentle patterns with her nails. She catches Mac looking at her and offers him a small, sad smile. Mac tries to smile back, even just a little, but he isn't sure if his brain is even connected to his face anymore. He rests his head atop Dennis's for a minute, burying his face in his hair, letting his lips ghost against his scalp. It isn't really a kiss, but he thinks the contact might help calm him down. Dennis inhales sharply, turning his head from the window to press against Mac's chest. 

They get back to the apartment fifteen minutes later, taking a moment to comprehend the evening after Charlie shuts off the car. Dennis has a white-knuckled grip on Mac's shirt, taking shuddering breaths that cut through the silence. Dee is the first to get out of the car, coming around to Mac's side to open the door. Charlie steps out too, keys in hand. Dennis is silent and completely compliant, allowing himself to be led up the stairs and into the apartment with relative ease. Filing inside, they stand in the living room, apart from Dennis, who goes immediately to Mac’s room and sits on the bed.

Mac turns to Dee and Charlie. 

"Do you guys wanna stay the night?" He whispers, knowing they're both exhausted. 

Dee glances back at Dennis. She holds up a single finger to tell him to wait and walks into Mac’s room, crouching down next to him. Mac sees her whisper something in his ear. She nods and wraps her arms around him briefly, before rejoining Mac and Charlie.  

"Maybe I should stay," her mouth is set in a thin line, "just in case. Besides, I'm tired as shit.”

“And I don't really want to be...home right now," Charlie mutters, looking down and fidgeting with his hands.

“Okay. Dee, you can take Dennis's room. Charlie, you're gonna have to take the couch.” 

Charlie sits down. 

"I'm going to shower, I feel disgusting," Dee walks into Dennis's room, closing the door behind her. Mac hears the lock turn. He looks at Charlie.

"Crazy shit, dude..." Charlie whispers, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I know, buddy," he suddenly feels completely wiped out. The adrenaline is fading, and he can tell a crash is coming, "I'm gonna go...check on Dennis.”

Charlie nods, understanding as ever. 

"Goodnight, dude," he kicks off his shoes and spreads out on the couch.  

"Goodnight, Charlie. Thanks for everything.”

He gives a quick thumbs-up and settles into the couch, grabbing a throw blanket.

Mac takes a deep breath and heads to his room. Dennis is still sitting on his bed, hugging a pillow to his chest. Mac sits next to him, rests a hand on his knee.

"I'm sorry, Dennis," he looks into his eyes.

Dennis nods in acknowledgement. Tears start to fall again and he presses the pillow against his mouth to stifle the noise.  

Mac climbs to the other side of the bed, leaning against the headboard and gathering Dennis in his arms. He rocks back and forth, shushing him gently, more to soothe him than to tell him to be quiet. Dennis is trembling, and his skin is strangely clammy, like he has a fever. 

The tears start to slow as Dennis sags against him, exhausted. Max holds him tighter, letting him rest on his chest. 

"You can go to sleep, Den," he whispers, "Everything is gonna be okay."

"Mac, please don't leave," his voice is small and hoarse, full of desperation. 

"I'll be here all night. I promise.” 

He leans down and presses a soft kiss to Dennis's sweaty forehead. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to submit requests at alwayssunnyprompts.tumblr.com


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